A vane handling frame comprising a plurality of individual housings for each vane is known. A frame of this kind serves to support the vanes with a view to their simultaneous movement in a heat treatment furnace.
The frame is generally made of metallic material and is covered with a thin layer of yttrided zirconia deposited by a plasma projection technique. Addition of this type of coating is necessary to avoid contact between a vane and the metallic material of the frame that might result in formation of a eutectic on the vanes, leading to a reduction in the metallurgical qualities of the vanes at the contact points.
It has been observed however that after having undergone several heat treatments, the yttrided zirconia becomes detached from the frame and may deposit itself on the vanes, resulting in their scrapping owing to a lack of mechanical conformity.